If an organization is understaffed, it does not have enough employees to do its work properly.
Many institutions offering child care are understaffed and underequipped.
...an understaffed police force.
understaffed in British English
(ˌʌndəˈstɑːft)
adjective
not having enough staff
her department is understaffed
understaffed in American English
(ˌʌndərˈstæft)
adjective
having too small a staff; having insufficient personnel
Examples of 'understaffed' in a sentence
understaffed
Hospitals are already struggling to find enough qualified nurses, with tens of thousands of vacancies and many wards dangerously understaffed.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
They are happening in a system that's constantly working to full capacity, massively understaffed andunable to cope with the impact of cuts to social care.